A FLAWED FLOOR.

Following an investigation into the floor of Red Bull's RB8, the FIA has deemed it to be illegal. There was some concern amongst teams after the Bahrain Grand Prix but, on that occasion, the FIA sided with Red Bull on the matter. Clearly, teams still felt unsure about the legality of the Red Bull's floor design after Monaco and took the matter to the FIA again. After the race in Monte Carlo, Stefano Domenicali told the BBC that his team feels no reason to protest but it seems that pressure from Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes led to the FIA reviewing it's decision.

Christian Horner and Red Bull sought clarification from the governing body after some "fuss" was created after Bahrain to ensure that the car was in line with regulations. The feedback they received from the FIA was positive and so they continued to run with this version of their car; as far as they were concerned no rules were being breached. The team had also ran the car in Malaysia and then Barcelona and Horner also added "There are other cars running in similar situations."

After Qualifying in Monaco there was further controversy and Red Bull simply put it down to people complaining whenever a car is competitive; a fair point for them to make when Charlie Whiting himself apparently told Red Bull that he's convinced the floor is legal. The issue arose over a hole in the Red Bull floor that teams felt contravenes the rules. Fully enclosed holes are not allowed to be located on the surface of the step plane of the floor. Arguments had even centred around what constitutes a hole.


Nevertheless, regardless of what Red Bull argue, the FIA have taken their final decision and this means that the Red Bull team won't get to enjoy the Jubilee celebrations too much. They have a lot of work to do over in Milton Keynes so that they have a new, fully compliant floor that keeps them competitive for the next Grand Prix which takes place in Canada in a week's time.


How will this affect the team's hopes for the race? We'll have to wait and see...


Aqsa, @aqsasformula

SAUBER GIVES YOU WINGS.

You've probably already seen this picture but I just think it's so cool so I had to post it on here. And if you haven't already seen it, you're welcome!

And Sauber succeed where Red Bull have failed.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

MORE RED BULL RUMOURS...

Following his win in the Monaco Grand Prix Mark Webber, and his Red Bull team, were faced with speculation that the Australian driver was backing up the rest of the pack on purpose to help fellow Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. It was said that this was done during the period of the race when Sebastian was leading; his alternative tyre strategy meant that he could stay out longer on his first set of tyres when everyone else pitted. Such conspiracy theories are commonplace in Formula 1 and accusations of team orders are always rife. However, Mark Webber has since spoken about these claims in his column on the BBC Sport website. Here's what he had to say on the matter:

"That is absolute rubbish. You just cannot be that fancy around Monaco."

Well that should answer any doubts anyone may have had over Red Bull's strategy. He went on to say, and I'm paraphrasing, that there'd be no point to risk playing these games in Monaco as you put yourself under more pressure from the guys behind you and the mechanics could always "mess up Seb's stop". 

I think both of the Red Bull drivers, and indeed the team, deserve credit for their achievements in Monaco. Webber won, which is always special, and Vettel followed up a poor Qualifying with a nice batch of points. So, can we please stop with the accusations and conspiracy theories that always seem to surround this team whenever they do well? The answer is probably not! I'm sure we'll keep hearing more of them during the season.

Despite these claims the team still lead the Constructors' so they're definitely doing a good job; after all, they're the only team to have won twice so far in 2012!

Aqsa

SETTING THE SCENE.

The Monaco Grand Prix is more about the glitz and glamour than it is about the actual racing. However, even with significantly few overtakes during the race it still manages to entertain and captivate audiences the world over. There was plenty to talk about after the race and so I had to have a good old think about what picture I wanted to choose for this week's 'Setting the Scene' feature. Here's my choice:

The winner of the race Mark Webber is now drawn on points with Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel but they both sit behind shock-championship leader and Fernando Alonso. Both have reason to celebrate but only for a couple of weeks as the championship will be blown wide open again, I'm sure, after the Canadian Grand Prix.

Aqsa

(Image: mg.co.za)

MARK MASTERS MONACO FOR A RED BULL HAT-TRICK

The Monaco Grand Prix today added to the spectacle that is the 2012 Formula 1 season. With Mark Webber's fantastic, historical win we now have six different winners in the first six races of the season; the first time this has ever happened in F1... I don't know how many times the unpredictability of this season can be underlined but there is just no other way to put it.

Red Bull have now won this race for the third year in succession with their 'number 2' driver Mark Webber. Despite many of the questions asked about Red Bull's performance, all unnecessary if you ask me, the team definitely delivered today. In what was one of the most exciting race ends I think I have ever seen Webber kept his cool and handled the pressure that the four cars behind him were piling on. Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton all went for a late charge in the hope of gaining places, perhaps in vain at this circuit. The cars were becoming much closer and literally anything could have happened in this closing stage. One tiny mistake would have changed things dramatically. Webber's teammate Vettel did well to even be involved in this battle for the win/podium. After starting the race in 9th position on the harder of the two tyre compounds Vettel proved his strategy was the best one he could have chosen. He managed his tyres incredibly well to maintain the lead of the Grand Prix for a number of laps after the drivers ahead of him went in for their pit-stops. Building a solid gap during this stage of the race benefited him as he came out in fourth after his turn in the pits. We saw just how hard overtaking in Monaco is as Vettel just couldn't pass Alonso no matter how close he came. Fourth was therefore the position he finished in but he did climb 5 places to get there; no mean feat in Monte Carlo. These results also mean that the two Red Bull drivers are now drawn on points in the drivers' Championship; they sit 2nd and 3rd behind, would you believe it?, a Ferrari.

The Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, that is, who took the final spot on the podium. He gained a couple of places from where he started the race and held his position well throughout. He even faced a challenge from teammate Massa but kept that third place during the race. Considering the position Ferrari were in just a few races ago it is astonishing to think that their driver is number 1 in the championship standings. They either made huge progress with the updates they brought to Mugello or have a driver who is capable of consistently outperforming his car. That being said, Felipe Massa had a great drive in Monaco today and, unlike in previous races, wasn't that far behind his Ferrari colleague. He finished 6th and, although I'm sure the pressure on him won't reduce by much, was able to silence a few of his critics, for a couple of weeks anyway. Felipe is definitely one of the drivers on the grid who must fight this season to keep a seat for 2013 but today he can relax in the knowledge that he picked up a good handful of points in Monaco to end what has been a more than satisfactory weekend for the Brazilian.

Someone who can't share this emotion would have to be Jenson Button. Yet another DNF for the Brit means another batch of points he misses out on and his championship winning dreams are fading fast. In a season as tight as this one a driver can't afford to lose valuable points and Button seems to be doing this on a rather regular basis in comparison to his rivals. And if you still needed further evidence that this year's F1 season is becoming increasingly unpredictable the sight of a McLaren car stuck behind a Caterham should have put your doubts to rest. The Caterham of Heikki Kovaleinen was responsible for frustrating Button and and when he did try to make a move on the so-called backmarker he spun and effectively ended his race.

McLaren's other driver Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Monaco; two places lower than where he started. A poor start compared to those around him saw him stuck behind the Ferrari duo for the first stage of the race and then he lost out to Sebastian Vettel's alternative tyre strategy when the German emerged from the pit lane ahead of him. He did have a late attempt at making a move on Vettel in that stunning battle in the last few laps of the race but he, like the drivers in front of him, couldn't manage to move forward. Speaking to the BBC's Lee McKenzie after the race the disappointment on Hamilton's face was clear. A fifth position is hard for a driver still trying to win his first race of the season but it is increasingly harder when the two drivers ahead of you started behind you on the grid. However, Hamilton's title hopes are still alive; he is 10 points behind Vettel and Webber and 13 behind the leader Alonso.

Yesterday was definitely Michael Schumacher's day as the veteran German driver was fastest of all during Qualifying. Following his correct prediction of him getting pole position, Michael still thought he was in with a chance of winning the race but, sadly, it was another retirement for Schumacher. He was experiencing problems during the middle section of the race but his concerns started much earlier. He collided with the Lotus of Romain Grosjean at the start of the race and it is possible that he sustained damage here that affected his later on. He started losing places rather quickly and was forced to allow cars to pass him because he was simply unable to hold them off. His teammate Nico Rosberg finished on the podium in Monaco; in 2nd place. This means Rosberg has a 57 point lead over his experienced fellow Mercedes driver. As I stated in my Qualifying review, it is all very well to pull out strong Saturday performances but if he continues to follow them up with poor races, the criticism on Schumacher's comeback will continue. 2 points from 6 races is simply not good enough for a team trying to challenge for race wins.

Other drivers in the points were the Force India pair who made up for a poor Qualifying. They finished 7th and 8th with Paul Di Resta finishing a place higher than his teammate who out-qualified him yesterday. Bruno Senna was the last man in the points after Kimi Raikkonen who was 9th. Both Raikkonen and Senna's teammates had to retire from the race; Lotus' Grosjean at the start and Williams' Maldonado slightly later on. Following his race win in Spain Maldonado will be bitterly disappointed to not even finish in Monaco. He must now mature as a racing driver if he is to keep on impressing those watching and working in Formula 1.

To conclude, the Monaco Grand Prix was yet another great one and we F1 fans are certainly being spoiled this year. We have close and exciting racing in abundance and it's lucky I'm not a betting person as there is just no knowing what can or will happen. Red Bull wrap up their third Monaco victory and Mark Webber's second. The Red Bull lead at the top of the Constructors' championship is still increasing with both of their drivers gaining a strong points finish. However, the Drivers' championship tells a completely different story... It is tighter than ever at the top with 3 drivers being separated by 3 points. And I'm sure we'll see more change in those standings after the next race; the Canadian Grand Prix.

Aqsa

P.S. I am experiencing some problems with my Twitter account but I hope they will be resolved as soon as possible. If you do wish to get in contact please comment here or email me... Thank you!

(Images: dailymail.co.uk)

MARK TAKES POLE FROM MICHAEL IN MONACO.

Monaco promised to provide a Qualifying session just as thrilling as the five before it and it delivered said promise in style. We were treated to a Saturday session that was thrilling throughout and it means we have a pretty good race ahead of us.

Michael Schumacher was the star of the day. He went fastest of all in Q3 but because of a 5-place grid penalty due to an incident with Bruno Senna in Spain 2 weeks ago he will start the race from sixth. Silencing many critics of his comeback, Schumacher showed just why he has been as successful as he has at this track in the past. 5 previous wins in Monaco meant that he had the experience around the track that no other driver could rival but, despite this, he was nobody's favourite for pole. If he was genuinely your pick for pole position; I salute you! Of course, we cannot avoid the fact that Michael will start from much lower down the grid because of his reckless clash with Senna. So whilst he performed exceptionally well today he must carry this performance forward into the race. He has retired from 3 of the 5 races so far and although many have blamed his poor luck his mistakes have often been easily avoidable, especially for a 7 time world champion.

Of course, when one driver suffers a penalty there are a fair few that will benefit. The man who has a lot to thank the German for is Mark Webber. Mark also drove particularly well today and was the man to beat until Schumacher crossed the line. His 2nd place has converted into pole position meaning Red Bull have a hat-trick of starts from the very front of the grid at Monaco. With overtaking being notoriously difficult in the narrow streets of the Monte Carlo circuit, pole position is something special indeed! And Mark Webber will be very glad that he is the one that can enjoy this rather comfortable position to be in ahead of the race. He experienced a starkly different Qualifying session to his teammate Sebastian Vettel. 2011's pole-sitter suffered throughout the session and even had to switch to the faster, super-soft tyres just to make it through to Q2. For the driver who out-qualified Webber on nearly every occasion last year, this must take some getting used to! With the exception of Bahrain, Vettel has never really looked that comfortable on Saturdays but that's not to say he can't convert his fortunes into a strong points finish. He, sadly, didn't set a timed lap in Q3 but starts in 9th instead of 10th because of a Maldonado penalty. Vettel will be starting the race on the harder of the two tyres, unlike all the cars in front of him, meaning we'll see some interesting, varied strategies being played out.

An extremely silly collision with Sergio Perez in FP3 was reminiscent of the old, 2011 version of Pastor Maldonado. He let his frustrations get the better of him and, as David Coulthard mentioned repeatedly during the BBC's Qualifying show, "used his car as a weapon"! It really is a case of hero to zero for the Venezuelan who won over F1 fans the world over after his win for Williams in Barcelona. He was strong again today and made it through to Q3 whilst teammate Senna dropped out in P14. The best he could manage was 9th but the stewards decided that a 10-place grid penalty was to be awarded for the aforementioned Perez clash and so he starts in 19th.

Many drivers benefit from Pastor's penalty. Nico Hulkenberg is probably the one that benefits the most as he gets to move up into the top 10. If he can hold or improve on this position he can pick up some vital championship points. Although those that do move up only move up by one, it can't hurt to start a position higher.

However, I doubt that this will offer much consolation for McLaren's Jenson Button. A poor Qualifying from him on the track where he last got pole position in 2009 meant that he could only finish 13th fastest. Button has been complaining of a lack of grip for a while now and considering what a vital factor that is in Monaco, this could have been predicted. Nevertheless, Button was strong on Thursday and will definitely be disappointed with not making it through to Q3. The race win may be out of the picture for Jenson now but he still has a shot at a top-10 finish. This could be his chance to pull off some spectacular overtakes and he would receive a lot of acclaim for doing so in Monaco. Button shouldn't be written just yet but he does have a tough race before him. His teammate Lewis Hamilton continued to out-qualify him. Lewis was in with a chance of getting pole position but still managed a great drive to qualify fourth in a very competitive shoot-out! He starts just behind the front row in 3rd after the Schumacher penalty.

Ferrari had a great start to the race weekend by getting both drivers into the top 10 for the first time this season. Felipe Massa will be glad to finally get through to Q3 and where better to do it than Monaco? I guess the answer is any of the previous 5 races but you understand my point... Alonso and Massa qualified 6th and 7th respectively so only the former benefits from Schumacher's grid drop. There wasn't a lot of time between the Ferrari duo so I'm sure Felipe will be disappointed that he couldn't do better. As will Kimi Raikkonen... Lotus looked very strong in practice but the Finn, just like Vettel, struggled from the beginning and also switched to the faster tyre early on. He pulled things together though and qualified 8th. Romain Grosjean did considerably better by going 5th fastest in the nearest he will get to a 'home' Grand Prix this season.

So I have summarised the main aspects of tomorrow's grid but Sergio Perez provided us all with much to talk about only 5 minutes in to the Saturday session. He starts at the very back of the grid because of an accident in Q1 which ruled his car out of any further running. Just like 2011, Perez didn't have a very good Saturday in Monaco but luckily this time around he can race on Sunday.

From what is probably my lengthiest Qualifying review ever, you can tell that a lot was going on today in Monaco. With so much to talk about and discuss from Qualifying, we can only imagine what the actual race will be like. Although Monaco isn't a track famed for its overtaking, it can still deliver a shock or two. My advice would be to not take the starting positions as the final finishing positions and to expect many surprises tomorrow. If there's one thing we do know from this season so far it's to, and excuse the cliche, expect the unexpected! This season really is like no other and with the possibility, albeit a small one, of rain a lot could change during the Grand Prix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I will...

See you tomorrow for all the apres-race talk!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Images 1,3: dailymail.co.uk,, Image 2: redbullracing.com)


UPDATE: Maldonado receives another penalty for a gearbox change. It's a 5-place grid drop this time meaning he starts 24th.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

If you're feeling a little disorientated today and think that tomorrow marks the beginning of an F1 race weekend then you're not alone, my friend! It's because today the practice sessions for the Monaco Grand Prix took place instead of an a Friday like they usually do. So I'm just going to talk about them now and I'll begin by telling/reminding you that Jenson Button went fastest in FP2. After saying his McLaren car wasn't suited to this track, the Englishman went fastest from Lotus' Romain Grosjean. However, it is worth noting that he was one of a few number of drivers who managed to set times on the faster of the two tyre choices before rain disrupted the second session.

Running was fairly limited for drivers today. As mentioned above, the second session was hampered by rain and the first ended seven minutes early due to the engine in Heikki Kovaleinen's Caterham blowing up in the tunnel. This means teams will go in to FP3 and Qualifying on Saturday without some of the information they would probably like. However, there is a very strong chance of rain for the Qualifying session which means it is definitely going to be another one where no one has a clue as to what may happen.

It must be repeated that the Lotus duo look strong and they are definite contenders for pole or the race win. You might even say they're the 'favourites' although I wouldn't be placing any bets if I were you; anything can happen on the day! Kimi Raikkonen didn't have a brilliant practice session. He failed to set a time in FP1 due to problems with his steering rack and the rain didn't allow him to compete with teammate Grosjean's lap. Despite these problems, I can definitely foresee a strong performance from the pair and it's not like Kimi has a lack of experience at this circuit. An all-Lotus front row could be a very real possibility...

Overall there isn't a lot to be said about this practice session. And just like all the other FP1s and FP2s before it, it doesn't tell us much about what will happen during the race weekend. I wasn't able to watch the sessions (because of the immensely wonderful sunshine and heat in the UK right now) but my eyes will be firmly glued to the television for Qualifying on Saturday. I'm a bit disappointed that FP1 and 2 are on a Thursday because it makes the wait for the weekend feel so much more longer. It's a bit depressing, isn't it?

So, who do you think will get pole? Kimi or Romain? Could Lewis reclaim his place at the top? Or could Sebastian Vettel repeat what was a great pole lap last year? Don't bother asking me who I'm picking, I have not yet this season been right...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

MONACO, MALDONADO AND MERCEDES.

The highly-anticipated Monaco Grand Prix is the next race on the 2012 F1 calendar and in just two days the practice sessions will begin; they're on Thursday for Monaco instead of Friday! Following the incredible Spanish Grand Prix just under a fortnight ago we have been left craving more racing and Monaco will most certainly live up to our expectations.

The 2011 Grand Prix, the sixth on the 2011 calendar, was full of drama, controversy, excitement and it was the fifth win of the season for Sebastian Vettel. Oh how things have changed... We are now going in to this race with five different winners from five races; Button, Alonso, Rosberg, Vettel and Maldonado are the lucky ones who have been able to grab the top spot on the podium so far! So, if last year's race is anything to go by we are in for a good one! Throw in the fact that no one has any idea as to what will happen this year and the excitement factor just shoots upwards.

Maldonado won the last race in Spain and he has a good previous record in Monaco leading to some people suggesting that he could make it two wins in two races and become the first driver to win more than one. We know Williams have a good car, if we judge things on what happened two weeks ago, but we also know that means nothing considering the rate at which everything seems to be changing this season. A few of you replied to me on Twitter saying you don't think Pastor can take the win once again and, from what I can see, Hamilton seems to be the favourite on the Twittersphere. Hamilton's teammate, Jenson Button, doesn't believe the MP4-27, McLaren's car, is suited to the Monaco track and doesn't have high hopes for a win here. So if Button tells us the car isn't up to it, can we really argue? Of course, Button didn't seem to be pleased with the car's performance in Spain whereas Lewis set the fastest time in Qualifying and climbed a massive 16 places during the race. It's fair to say what suits one driver doesn't necessarily work for another.

I genuinely don't have any predictions for this race/weekend. Monaco can be home to some great overtakes so what we see on Saturday may not decide how the race ends and, as you should already know by now, tyres will also play a vital role. Once free practices 1 and 2 are over we may have more of an idea as to who the track is suited to and who can demonstrate good race pace but even then I highly doubt that many people will be certain of their predictions.

In other news, just briefly, Mercedes have confirmed their interest in Paul Di Resta, should 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher re-retire at the end of the season. I personally think Di Resta would be a good choice for Mercedes and a good partner for Nico Rosberg. There are quite a few contracts expiring at the end of this year and I think I might have to do a post on this at some point to examine who might be leaving who and who could replace them. There are a lot of great, young drivers on the grid at the moment who would be ideal to fill seats in more established teams and the likes of Di Resta and Perez and co. will have some big decisions to make before the 2013 season begins. However, that is too far into the future to start thinking about at the moment and for now they have a Grand Prix to get on with...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image: redbull.com)